Apparatus for chamfering blocks of vegetable

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an improvement in a chamfering machine for chamfering blocks of vegetable such as carrots or potatoes. A conventional vegetable block chamfering machine uses a chamfering blade having a crank-like axle integrally connected thereto with its opposite handles aligned with the blade edge, permitting the chamfering blade to rotate freely about its opposite handles. An improved chamfering machine according to the present invention is free of any kind of malfunction as would be often caused in the conventional chamfering machine, and is capable of chamfering blocks of vegetable effectively. A chamfering blade is placed in the path in which a selected block of vegetable is transported, the edge of the chamfering blade being directed to the vegetable block. The chamfering blade is integrally connected to a blade axle, which is placed in engagement with guide and the blade axle is fixed to one end of a swingable rod. A vegetable carrier is placed in front of the chamfering blade. A vegetable block transporting transports the block of vegetable on the transporting way with the block of vegetable pinched and held, and the vegetable block transporting is operatively connected to the other end of the swingable rod, thus permitting the swingable rod to swing about the blade axle, allowing the chamfering blade to turn about the blade axle while moving and chamfering the block of vegetable under the guidance provided by the guide in the counter direction to the direction in which the block of vegetable is transported.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus for chamfering cuboidblocks of vegetables.

It is often requested that vegetables, such as carrots or potatoes becut to provide bite-sized blocks of carrots or potatoes. Such blocks ofcarrots or potatoes have a cuboid form with ridges extending along itscorners. These ridges give an unpleasant touch in one's mouth, and areeasily broken when boiled, thus making the soup thick. Therefore, suchbite-sized blocks are preferably chamfered to give a rounded shape as awhole before cooking.

The chamfered block looks like a Rugby ball, having convex sides.Assuming that cuboid blocks of vegetable are chamfered manually with akitchen knife, even a skilled hasher can chamfer 200 to 400 pieces forone hour at best. If food is prepared for many people, such skilledhashers cannot be allotted such a less-important work.

In an attempt to facilitate such work a machine is proposed forchamfering cuboid blocks of vegetable (see Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No.9-248791).

The vegetable block chamfering machine has a chamfering blade fixed to acrank-like axle with the edge of the chamfering blade aligned with theopposite lateral handles of the crank-like axle, and the oppositelateral handles of the crank-like axle are fixed rotatably to a standframe of the chamfering machine, thereby permitting the chamfering bladeto be tilted about the crank-like axle against a block of vegetable whenthe chamfering blade meets with the counter force caused by advance ofthe block of vegetable on the chamfering blade. Thus, the cuboid blockof vegetable can be chamfered so that it may be contoured to be given aRugby ball-like shape.

Attaching the chamfering blade about its pivot axle for free tilting,however, has the defect of abruptly increasing the resistance to theturning of the chamfering blade if vegetable debris is stuck to thepivot axle of the chamfering blade, preventing the smooth cutting, andwhat is worse, deforming blocks of vegetable and breaking the chamferingblade as a result of stress convergence at the blade-to-axle joint.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide a vegetable blockchamfering machine having the pivot axle of the chamfering blade fixedto an associated link mechanism, thereby permitting the tilting of thechamfering blade to be controlled through the agency of the linkmechanism, thus assuring that the vegetable block chamfering machine isfree of such defects as described above.

According to a first aspect of the present invention a vegetable blockchamfering machine is constructed as follows:

a single chamfering blade is placed in the path in which a selectedcuboid block of vegetable is made to advance, and the chamfering bladeis oriented with its edge directed to the block of vegetable; a pivotaxle of the chamfering blade is placed in engagement with guide means,and is fixed to one end of a swingable rod via an intervening connectionrod; a vegetable carrier having means for pinching a selected cuboidblock of vegetable is set in front of the chamfering blade for carryingthe block of vegetable toward the chamfering blade; and the vegetablecarrier is operatively connected to the one end of the swingable rod,thereby permitting the swingable rod to swing about the other or pivotend of the swingable rod in unison with the advance of the vegetablecarrier so that the chamfering blade may be tilted about its pivot axlewhile being guided by the guide means, thus chamfering the block ofvegetable.

According to a second aspect of the present invention a vegetable blockchamfering machine is constructed as follows:

two chamfering blades are placed at different levels with their edgesdirected to a cuboid block of vegetable for simultaneously chamferingthe same, the two chamfering blades being in the path in which thecuboid block of vegetable is made to advance; the pivot axle of thefirst chamfering blade is placed in engagement with guide means, and isfixed to one end of a swingable rod via an associated interveningconnection rod whereas the pivot axle of the second chamfering blade isplaced in engagement with the guide means, and is fixed to the swingablerod via an associated intervening connection rod; a vegetable carrierhaving means for pinching a selected cuboid block of vegetable is set infront of the chamfering blade for carrying the cuboid block of vegetabletoward the first and second chamfering blades; and the vegetable carrieris operatively connected to the one end of the swingable rod, therebypermitting the swingable rod to swing about the other or pivot end ofthe swingable rod in unison with the advance of the vegetable carrier sothat the first and second chamfering blades may be tilted about theirpivot axles while being guided by the guide means, thus chamfering thecuboid block of vegetable at the upper and lower levels.

According to a third aspect of the present invention a vegetable blockchamfering machine is constructed as follows:

two chamfering blades are parallel-arranged with their edges directed toa cuboid block of vegetable for simultaneously chamfering the same, thetwo chamfering blades being in the path in which a selected cuboid blockof vegetable is made to advance; the pivot axle of the first chamferingblade is placed in engagement with guide means, and is fixed at each endto one end of a swingable rod whereas the pivot axle of the secondchamfering blade is placed in engagement with the guide means, and isfixed at each end to another swingable rod; a driving plate which can bemoved back and forth on a linear passage, and is operatively connectedto the one end of each swingable rod; a vegetable carrier having meansfor pinching a selected cuboid block of vegetable is set in front of thechamfering blades, carrying the block of vegetable toward the first andsecond chamfering blades; and the vegetable carrier is operativelyconnected to a driving plate, thereby permitting the swingable rods toswing about the other or pivot ends of the swingable rods in unison withthe advance of the vegetable carrier so that the first and secondchamfering blades may be tilted about their pivot axles while beingguided by the guide means, thus chamfering the block of vegetable in theopposite planes parallel to the direction in which the block ofvegetable is transported.

Finally according to a fourth aspect of the present invention avegetable block chamfering machine is so constructed as follows:

five chamfering blades for effecting a required chamfering at one time,that is, a single inverted “V”-shaped blade for cutting and removing theopposite upper ridges of the cuboid vegetable block, two horizontalblades at different levels for cutting and removing the top and bottomof the cuboid vegetable block, and two vertical blades spaced apart fromeach other for cutting and removing the opposite sides of the cuboidvegetable block are placed sequentially in the path in which thevegetable block is made to advance, all chamfering blades being orientedwith their edges directed to the vegetable block;

the pivot axle of the inverted “V”-shaped blade is placed in engagementwith first guide means, and is fixed at each end to one end of one orthe other first swingable rod; the pivot axle each of the secondhorizontal blades is placed in engagement with second guide means, andis fixed at each end to one end of one or the other second swingablerod; and the pivot axle each of the third vertical blades is placed inengagement with third guide means, and is fixed to one end of one or theother third swingable rod;

first and second driving plates which can be moved back and forth inlinear passages, the first driving plate being operatively connected tothe other ends of the first and second swingable rods whereas the seconddriving plate being operatively connected to the other ends of the thirdswingable rod;

a vegetable carrier having means for pinching a selected cuboid block ofvegetable is set in front of the chamfering blades, carrying the blockof vegetable toward the first and second chamfering blades; and thevegetable carrier is operatively connected to the first and seconddriving plates, thereby permitting the swingable rods to swing about theother or pivot ends of the swingable rods in unison with the advance ofthe vegetable carrier so that the chamfering blades may be tilted abouttheir pivot axles while being guided by the guide means, thus chamferingthe block of vegetable at all sides in planes parallel to the directionin which the block of vegetable is transported.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a vegetable block chamfering machine accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plane view of the vegetable block chamfering machine of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the vegetable block chamfering machine of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the vegetable block chamfering machinetaken along the line A—A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows how the chamfering blades are tilted in chamfering a blockof vegetable;

FIG. 6 shows how a piece of vegetable is cut into a cuboid block ofvegetable, and how the cuboid block of vegetable is chamfered;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vegetable block chamfering machineaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a plane view of the vegetable block chamfering machine of FIG.7;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the vegetable block chamfering machine of FIG.7;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the vegetable block chamfering machine of FIG.7;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of two inverted “V”-shaped chamferingblades for cutting and removing the opposite upper corner ridges of thevegetable block;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of two horizontal chamfering blades forcutting and removing the top and bottom portions of the vegetable block;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of two vertical chamfering blades forcutting and removing the opposite sides of the vegetable block;

FIG. 14 shows how a piece of vegetable is cut into a cuboid block ofvegetable, and how the cuboid block of vegetable is chamfered by thevegetable block chamfering machine of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 15 to 17 show how these different chamfering blades work;

FIG. 18 is a plane view of some parts of the vegetable chamferingmachine for pinching and holding a cuboid block of vegetable B;

FIG. 19 is a side view of some parts for pinching and holding a cuboidblock of vegetable B;

FIG. 20 is a plane view of vegetable block pinching-and-holding parts inthe state of discharging a chamfered block of vegetable B;

FIG. 21 is a side view of vegetable block pinching-and-holding parts inthe state of discharging the chamfered block of vegetable B; and

FIG. 22 illustrates how the swingable rod is operatively connected to anactuating pin.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The accompanying drawings show two embodiments of the present invention,that is, FIGS. 1 to 6 show a first embodiment, and FIGS. 7 to 22 show asecond embodiment.

At first, a vegetable block chamfering machine according to the firstembodiment is described below. FIG. 1 is a side view of the chamferingmachine; FIG. 2 is a plane view of the chamfering machine; FIG. 3 is afront view of the chamfering machine; and FIG. 4 is a sectional view ofthe chamfering machine taken along the line A—A in FIG. 2.

A machine frame 1 has two vertical guide plates 13 a and 13 b standingupright intermediate of the flat bed of the machine frame 1. Eachvertical guide plate has a vertical guide slot 14 made therein. Upperand lower chamfering blades 21 and 22 have their axles 19 and 20slidably fitted in the vertical guide slots 14 of the opposite verticalguide plates 13 a and 13 b, thus permitting the upper and lower blades21 and 22 to move up and down.

In place of such guide slots 14 vertical grooves may be made in theopposite guide plates 13 a and 13 b for snugly accommodating the bladeaxles.

The upper and lower chamfering blades 21 and 22 have their axles 19 and20 vertically aligned, and are so oriented that their edges are directedto a block of vegetable.

A swingable rod 16 is rotatably fixed at one end to one vertical guideplate 13 a at a level higher than the vertical guide slot 14, therebypermitting the swingable rod 16 to swing back and forth about its pivotaxle 15. An upper blade raising-and-lowering connection rod 17 isrotatably connected at one end to the other end of the swingable rod 16,and is fixedly connected at the other end to the axle 19 of the upperchamfering blade 21. A lower blade lowering-and-raising connection rod18 is rotatably connected at one end to a selected portion 26 of theswingable rod 16, and is fixedly connected at the other end to the axle20 of the lower chamfering blade 22. The lower bladelowering-and-raising connection rod 18 is semi-circular in shape (seeFIG. 1) to avoid any interference with the upper bladeraising-and-lowering connection rod 19.

The upper chamfering blade 21 has a trapezoid-like shape as seen fromFIGS. 3 and 4 in this particular example. It may have an arch-like ortriangular shape.

A vegetable carrier 12 is movably set a predetermined distance ahead ofthe upper and lower chamfering blades 21 and 22. The vegetable carrier12 has a “V”-shaped groove 12 a formed on its top surface. Two parallelguide rails 2 are laid on the flat base of the machine frame, andvegetable transporting means 3 is adapted to run on the pair of parallelguide rails 2. The vegetable transporting means 3 comprises movablefront and rear walls 5 and 6 both riding on the guide rails 2. Thesefront and rear walls 5 and 6 have confronting push rods 4 and 4 fixedthereon. These push rods 4 and 4 extend above the “V”-shaped groove 12 aof the vegetable carrier 12 for pinching an elongated cuboid block ofvegetable between the confronting push rods 4 and 4.

Also, the front and rear movable walls 5 and 6 have confrontinglongitudinal push-extensions 7 and 8 formed on their bottoms. The frontmovable wall 5 has a lateral handle extension 9 formed on its outerside. The lateral handle extension 9 has a groove 10 formed thereon. Therear movable wall 6 has a stud pin 11 on its outer side at the samelevel as the groove 10 of the lateral handle extension 9. A length ofcoiled spring 24 is fixed to the front and rear movable walls 5 and 6 bypermitting its opposite ends to be caught by the groove 10 and the studpin 11 so that it may be stretched therebetween to pull these walls 5and 6 toward each other.

A slider block 23 is adapted to move back and forth along one side ofthe machine frame 1 in a certain limited intermediate range between theconfronting longitudinal push-extensions 7 and 8. The slider block 23can be moved back and forth by moving the longitudinal push-extensions 7and 8 with the aid of the lateral handle extension 9.

The slider block 23 has a vertical slot 27 formed therein, and the jointbetween the swingable rod 16 and the upper blade raising-and-loweringconnection rod 17 is movably fitted in the vertical slot 27. Detents 26a and 26 b are positioned to be apart a predetermined distance on eitherside of the intermediate position of the vertical guide plate 13 a onthe machine frame 1.

FIG. 5 shows how the edges C of the upper and lower chamfering blades 21and 22 change in angle relative to an elongated cuboid block ofvegetable such as a potatoes, which is ahead of their edges C (theirbacks indicated by D). As seen from FIG. 6, a piece of potatoes (FIG.6-1) is cut at opposite ends (solid lines, in FIG. 6-2) and then, inradial directions (broken lines in FIG. 6-2) into an elongated cuboidblock of potato B (FIG. 6-3).

When the lateral handle extension 9 is pulled toward a user (leftward inFIG. 1) to move the front movable wall 5 forward, the rear movable wall6 is moved forward accordingly, thereby allowing the longitudinalpush-extension 8 to push the slider block 23 forward. Accordingly theswingable rod 16 is formed to swing clockwise until the slider block 23abuts against the detent 26 b, and then the swingable rod 16 and therear movable wall 6 stop.

As the upper blade raising-and-lowering connection rod 17 is formed toswing clockwise, the upper blade axle 19 is lowered in the verticalguide slot 14, permitting the edge of the upper chamfering blade 21 tobe inclined upward relative to the elongated cuboid block of vegetableB.

At the same time, the lower blade lowering-and-raising connection rod 18is formed to swing counterclockwise to raise the lower blade axle 20 inthe vertical guide slot 14, thereby permitting the edge of the lowerblade 22 to be inclined downward relative to the elongated cuboid blockof vegetable B.

The lateral handle extension 9 is pulled toward the user even more toexpand the distance between the confronting push rods 4 and 4, and thena selected elongated cuboid block of vegetable is placed on the“V”-shaped groove 12 a of the vegetable carrier 12 in the expanded spacebetween the confronting push rods 4 and 4. Then, the lateral handleextension 9 is released to allow the confronting longitudinal push rods4 and 4 to pinch the elongated cuboid block of vegetable therebetween(see FIG. 1).

Then, the lateral handle extension 9 is pushed rearward (rightward inFIG. 1) to allow the longitudinal push-extension 7 of the front movablewall 5 to push the slider block 23 rearward along with the elongatedcuboid block of vegetable B.

The lengths of the confronting push rods 4 and 4 are so determined thatthe elongated cuboid block of vegetable B may be placed in contact withthe edges of the upper and lower blades 21 and 22 when the longitudinalpush-extension 7 of the front movable wall 5 abuts against the sliderblock 23.

Immediately after the block of vegetable B abuts against the upper andlower chamfering blade edges, the upper blade raising-and-loweringconnection rod 17 puts the edge of the upper chamfering blade 21 in anupward oblique position whereas the lower blade lowering-and-raisingconnection rod 18 puts the edge of the lower chamfering blade 22 in adownward oblique position (see FIG. 5, ST-1).

Further pushing of the lateral handle extension 9 moves the slider 23rearward to rotate the swingable rod 16 counterclockwise about the pivotaxle 15 from the position indicated by solid lines toward that indicatedby broken lines in FIG. 1.

While the upper blade raising-and-lowering connection rod 17 rotatesabout the joint 25 toward the upright position, the upper blade axle 19is raised in the vertical guide slot 14, allowing the upper blade 21 tochamfer the end of the vegetable block B. As the upper blade axle 19turns, the edge of the upper chamfering blade changes gradually in anglefrom the upward oblique to horizontal position to slice the top of thevegetable block B horizontally.

On the other hand, while the swingable rod 16 pushes down the lowerblade lowering-and-raising connection rod 18, the lower blade axle 20 islowered in the vertical guide slot 14, permitting its edge to turngradually from the downward oblique to horizontal position to slice thebottom of the vegetable block B horizontally.

The joint 25 between the swingable rod 16 and the upper bladeraising-and-lowering connection rod 17 is allowed to move in thevertical slot 27 of the slide block 23 while the swingable rod 16 swingsa certain angular distance about the pivot axle 15, thereby assuringthat the swingable rod 16 along with both connection rods 16 and 17 movesmoothly. When the swingable rod 16 comes to the upright position, theupper chamfering blade 21 is raised up to the highest position with itsedge horizontal, and the lower blade 22 is lowered down to the lowestposition with its edge horizontal (see FIG. 5, ST-2).

When the swingable rod 16 swings rightward beyond the upright position,the upper blade raising-and-lowering connection rod 17 lowers the upperblade 21, allowing its edge to turn downward, and the lower bladelowering-and-raising connection rod 22 raises the lower blade 22,allowing its edge to turn upward (see FIG. 5, ST-3).

When the slider block 23 abuts against the detent 26 a, the swingablerod 16 stops, and it is retained in the position shown in phantom linesin FIG. 1. The chamfering of the block of vegetable B is finished.

Guide plates 13 a, 13 b, upper blade raising-and-lowering connectionrods 16, lower blade lowering-and-raising connection rods 18 ofdifferent sizes are prepared, and selectively used to meet differentvegetable block sizes and shapes.

When the vegetable carrier means 3 moves a certain predetermineddistance, the trapezoid-like upper chamfering blade 21 cuts and removesthe top of the vegetable block B, and at the same time, the linear lowerblade 22 cuts and removes the bottom of the vegetable block B.

As the vegetable block B is brought a distance equal to its longitudinalsize, the upper and lower blades 21 and 22 change their angles graduallyso that the vegetable block B may be cut and shaped as seen from FIG.6-4.

After finishing the chamfering of the vegetable block, the rear movablewall 6 is withdrawn rearward to allow the chamfered vegetable block tofall. While chamfering, vegetable debris is allowed to fall, so that thefinished vegetable block may be free of such vegetable debris.

After removing the finished vegetable block from the machine, the frontmovable wall 5 is allowed to return to the initial position by releasingthe lateral handle extension 9, and at the same time the rear movablewall 6 is pulled toward the front movable wall 5 by the stretched spring24.

The slider block 23 is pushed forward by the longitudinalpush-extennsion 8 of the rear movable wall 6, allowing the swingable rod16, the upper blade raising-and-lowering connection rod 17 and the lowerblade lowering-and-raising connection rod 18 to return to their initialpositions as shown in solid lines in FIG. 1.

In this particular example the vegetable carrier means 3 is moved byhand. The machine may be so designed that the vegetable carrier means 3may be moved through the agency of an electric motor drivenrack-and-pinion, and then, a lot of vegetable blocks can be chamferedone after another simply by putting them on the vegetable carrier 12,permitting time and labor to be saved.

Referring to FIGS. 7 to 22, a chamfering machine according to a secondembodiment of the present invention is described below. The machine isso designed that blocks of vegetable may be shifted alternately in theopposite directions to be chamfered one after another.

A longitudinal vegetable-feeding passage M is defined on the flat baseof the machine, and two opposite side plates 28 stand upright on eitherside of the longitudinal vegetable passage M with two lateral supportplates 30 traversing the space between the opposite side plates 28 onthe front and rear sides of the machine. These make up together amachine frame 29.

Each side plate 28 has upper and lower longitudinal, horizontal guideslots 32 a, 32 b, 32 c or 32 d, and vertical guide slots 33 a and 33 b.

The lateral support plate 28 is positioned at a level lower than theupper longitudinal slot 32 a, and it has a lateral guide slot 31.

A vegetable carrier 12 is placed at the intermediate position of themachine frame 29.

The vegetable carrier 12 is composed of a pair of chamfered blocks,which are arranged with their chamfered sides facing each other, therebydefining a “V”-shaped groove 12 a therebetween. The opposite chamferedblocks are somewhat apart from each other, leaving a longitudinal gap ofpredetermined width on the bottom of the “V”-shaped valley.

Each chamfered block has a through hole formed therein. A light-emittingelement is placed on one side of one of the opposite chamfered blocksand a light-receiving element is placed on the other side of the otherchamfered block, so that a block of vegetable B may be detected when itis placed on the vegetable carrier 12.

Two inverted “V”-shaped blades 34 are arranged on the front and rearsides of the vegetable carrier 12, and their blade axles 39 are slidablyfitted in vertical guide slots 33 a, which are formed in the oppositeside walls 28 (see FIG. 11).

Two pairs of upper and lower horizontal chamfering blades 35 and 36 havetheir axles 39 slidably fitted in the vertical guide slots 33 b, whichare formed in the opposite side walls 28 (FIG. 12).

Finally, two pairs of left and right vertical blades 37 and 38 havetheir axles 39 slidably fitted in the horizontal guide slots 31, whichare formed in the lateral support plates 30 (FIG. 13).

The inverted “V”-shaped blades 34 for cutting and removing the oppositelongitudinal corners of an elongated cuboid block of vegetable, upperand lower horizontal blades 35, 36 for cutting and removing the top andbottom of the vegetable block, and left and right vertical blades 37, 38for cutting and removing the opposite sides of the vegetable block areseparated into two groups with their edges directed to the vegetablecarrier 12.

A slider system 40 comprises a screw rod 42 extending parallel to thelongitudinal vegetable-feeding passage M and a slider block 43threadedly engaged with the screw rod 42. The screw rod 42 is connectedto the shaft of an electric motor 41. The slider system 40 has areversing switch (not shown) positioned at either end, too. When thereversing switch is actuated to permit the motor 41 to run in one or theother direction, the slider block 43 is moved back and forth within apredetermined distance.

An elongated guide rail 44 is laid parallel to the vegetable-feedingpassage M, extending along the two side walls 28 on one side of the flatbed of the machine frame, and a liner 45 is slidably mounted on thelongitudinal guide rail 44.

Referring to FIGS. 18 to 21, the slider block 43 has a projected jointplate 48 fixed to its top, and the projected joint plate 48 has itsprojection 47 laid on the liner 45.

The projection 47 has an engagement hole 49 formed for accommodating asteel ball 50 and a coiled spring 51 whereas the liner 45 has a countersemicircular-hole 52 formed thereon, thus providing a detachableengagement mechanism 46 by which the projected joint plate 48 isdetachably connected to the liner 45 by allowing the steel ball 50 to befitted in the blind hole 52 under the influence of the coiled spring 51.

The guide rail 44 has two detents 533 and 544 projecting at its oppositeends for defining the range within which the liner 45 can be driven.

The slider block 43 can be moved beyond the range set for the liner 45when the steel ball 50 leaves the blind hole 52, thereby disengaging theslider block 43 from the liner 45. The slider block 43 can be placed inengagement with the liner 45 when the slider block 43 enters the rangeset for the liner 45 again, allowing the steel ball 50 to drop in theblind hole 52.

The liner 45 has a lateral extension 55 movably fitted in thelongitudinal, horizontal guide slot 32 c of the side wall 28, and alongitudinal push rod 56 is integrally connected to the lateralextension 55 of the liner 45.

The liner 45 has an actuator pin 57 depressibly projecting from its top(see FIG. 22).

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the slider block 43 has square joint holes59 formed in its opposite sides. These square joint holes 59 extendparallel to the screw rod 42, and the slider block 43 has detachableengagement means 46 equipped therewith. The detachable engagement means46 can be operatively accommodated in the square joint holes 59.

The longitudinal extensions of two L-shaped plates 60 are so arrangedalong the longitudinal guide rail 44 on the opposite sides of the sliderblock 43 that the end of each longitudinal extension may be aligned withone or the other square joint hole 59 of the slider block 43, thuspermitting the end of each longitudinal extension to be inserted in thesquare joint hole 59 and detachably caught by the detachable engagementmeans 46. The lateral extension of the L-shaped plate 60 is movablyinserted in the longitudinal guide slot 32 b of the side wall 28, and ithas a counter push rod 61 integrally connected to its end in confrontingrelation with the push rod 56.

Again referring to FIG. 11, the inverted “V”-shaped chamfering blade 34comprises an inverted “Y”-shaped blade section and a “U”-shaped frame62, and the inverted “Y”-shaped blade section is integrally connected tothe blade axle 39 via the “U”-shaped frame 62. The “I”-shaped bladesection 63 which connects the ridge of the inverted “V”-shaped bladesection to the inverted “U”-shaped frame 62 functions to cut andseparate a slice of vegetable into two pieces. The edge of the inverted“Y”-shaped blade section is in the plane in which the center axis of theblade axle 39 is contained, and the joint between the inverted“V”-shaped blade section and the “I”-shaped blade section is preferablyat a level which is somewhat higher than the center axis of the bladeaxle 39.

The blade axle 39 has two swingable rods 69 fixed to its opposite ends.Each swingable rod 69 has a roll 64 fixed to its lower end. The roll 64has its axle 65 movably fitted in the longitudinal guide slot 32 d ofthe side wall 28, and the roll 64 confronts one or the other actuatorpin 57 of the liner 45.

Referring to FIG. 22 again, the liner 45 has an electromagnet (notshown) contained therein for pulling the actuator pin 57 in the liner45, thereby allowing the liner 45 to pass under the roll 64 of theswingable rod 69, and then, the actuator pin 57 is allowed to appearagain from the top surface of the liner 45.

Referring to FIG. 12, the upper horizontal chamfering blade 35 isintegrally connected to the blade axle 39 with its edge inclinedsomewhat upward whereas the lower chamfering blade 36 is integrallyconnected to the blade axle 39 with its edge inclined somewhat downward.The blade axle 39 of the upper blade 35 has two swingable rods 70 fixedto its opposite ends whereas the blade axle 39 of the lower blade 36 hastwo swingable rods 71 fixed to its opposite ends.

Two actuator plates 68 for each set of upper and lower horizontal blades35 and 36 are provided outside of the opposite side walls 28. Eachswingable rod 70 of the upper horizontal blade 35 is operativelyconnected to the actuator plate 68 and the side wall 28 by fixing theaxle of the roll 64 to the lower end of the swingable rod 70, insertingthe roll axle loosely in the hole of the lower end of the actuator plate68, and inserting the roll axle loosely in the longitudinal guide slot32 d of the side wall 28.

The upper end of each swingable rod 71 of the lower horizontal blade 36is rotatably fixed to the upper end of the actuator plate 68.

Referring to FIG. 13, the left and right vertical chamfering blades 37and 38 are integrally connected to the vertical blade axles 39 withtheir edges directed somewhat outward, and the vertical blade axles 39are fixed to the horizontal swingable rods 72 and 73. A horizontal slideplate 66 has a traversing guide slot 31 formed therein, and the oppositeends of the horizontal slide plate 66 are slidably inserted in thelongitudinal, horizontal guide slots 32 a of the opposite side walls 28.An upright slide plate 67 is fixed to one end of horizontal slide plate66, which appears from the side wall 28.

The vertical blade axles 39 are slidably fitted in the traversing guideslot 31 of the horizontal slide plate 66, and the swingable rods 72 and73 are rotatably fixed to the horizontal slide plate 66 via associatedjoint pins 72 a and 73 a.

The upright slide plate 67 has a roll 64 fixed to its lower end, and theaxle 65 of the roll 64 is movably inserted in the longitudinal guideslot 32 d of the side wall 28.

FIGS. 18 and 19 show that an elongated cuboid block of vegetable B ispinched and held between the push and counter push rods 56 and 61.

When the slider block 43 is driven in the direction indicated by arrowin FIG. 18 to placed the center of the slider block 43 in alignment withthe center of the liner 45, the slider block 43 is coupled with theliner 45 by the engagement mechanism 46, and then the slider block 43and the liner 45 move together as a whole, allowing the lateralextension 55 of the liner 45 to move in the longitudinal slot 32 c ofthe side wall 28, so that the push rod 56 may push the block ofvegetable B forward.

On the other hand, the lateral extension of the L-shaped plate 60remains still, lying ahead of the slider block 43. When the slider block43 continues to move toward the confronting end of the longitudinalextension of the L-shaped plate 60 to allow it to enter the square jointhole 59 of the slider block 43, the L-shaped plate 60 is coupled withthe slider block 43, and then, the block of vegetable B is pinched andheld between the push rod 56 and the counter push rod 61. The L-shapedplate 60 is caught by detent means (not shown) to permit it to stay at apredetermined position against the pressure applied by the slider block43, thereby assuring that the block of vegetable B be held positively.

Referring to FIG. 22, the liner 45 is driven rearward, permitting theactuator pin 57 to push the roll 64, thereby rotating the swingable rod69 counterclockwise to raise the blade axle of the inverted “V”-shapedchamfering blade 34 in the vertical guide slot 33 a. After the swingablerod 69 passes the upright position as shown in FIG. 22(b), the inverted“V”-shaped chamfering blade 34 starts descending.

The swingable rod 69 is rotated a predetermined angular distance toallow the “V”-shaped chamfering blade 34 to cut and remove the top ofthe vegetable block B, reaching the position as shown in FIG. 22(c),when photo sensor means (not shown) detects arrival of the swingable rod69 at the position to de-energize the electromagnet means, thus allowingthe actuator pin 57 to be depressed in the liner 45 under the influenceof spring.

Thereafter, the liner 45 continues to move rearward, allowing the roll64 to ride over the depressed actuator pin 57 (see FIG. 22(c)), andleaving the swingable rod 69 behind.

The top of the block of vegetable B is cut and removed by the inverted“V”-shaped blade 34 (see FIG. 14(4)), and then, the top slice is cutinto two separate pieces, which can be removed from the chamferingmachine without being caught by any parts of the machine.

The liner 45 moves rearward beyond the position as shown in FIG. 22(c),and then, the electromagnet means is energized to project the actuatorpin 57 from the top surface of the liner 45.

The liner 45 continues to move rearward, so that the actuator pin 57abuts against the subsequent roll 64 to push it, thereby rotating theswingable rod 70 and raising the horizontal, upper chamfering blade 35,and at the same time, lowering the horizontal, lower chamfering blade36.

After slicing the upper and lower portions of the vegetable block B withthe upper and lower horizontal blades (see FIG. 14(5)), rotation of theswingable rod 70 over a predetermined angular distance is detected by anassociated photo sensor (not shown) to de-energize the electromagnet,thereby allowing the actuator pin 57 to be depressed in the liner 45.Thus, the roll 64 rides over the depressed actuator pin 57.

After the roll 64 passes the depressed actuator pin 57, theelectromagnet is energized to allow the actuator pin 57 to appear on thetop surface of the liner 45.

Finally, the roll 64 of the left and right vertical blades 37 and 38 ispushed rearward by the actuator pin 57, thereby pushing the horizontalslide plate 66 rearward via the upright plate 67 to allow the left andright vertical chamfering blades 37 and 38 to move horizontally in thetraversing guide slot 31.

When the upright plate 67 stops at the terminal end of the longitudinalguide slot 32 a, the photo sensor detects arrival at the terminalposition for de-energizing the electromagnet. The roll 64 is allowed toride over the depressed actuator pin 57, so that the liner 45 movesrearward, leaving the roll 64 behind, and finally the liner 45 stopswhen it abuts against the detent 53 b.

On the other hand, the slider block 43 continues to move rearward,leaving the liner 45 behind, and the L-shaped rod 60 is pushed rearwardto expand the space between the push rod 56 and the counter push rod 61until the chamfered block of vegetable B may fall down.

The manner in which the actuator pin and the link mechanism work withunison is described below in respect to the inverted “V”-shaped blade34.

The slider block 43 is driven forward, and the liner 45 is coupled withthe slider block 43, and is driven together with the slider block 43.The push rod 56 of the liner 45 pushes an elongated cuboid block ofvegetable B, making it to leave the vegetable carrier 12 so that it ispinched and held between the push rod 56 and the counter push rod 61.

The liner 45 continues to move forward, pushing the roll 64 of theswingable rod 69 with the actuator pin 57 to allow the upper end of theswingable rod 69 to rise in the vertical guide slot 33 a. Accordinglythe inverted “V”-shaped blade 34 rises with its edge turningaccordingly, thereby cutting the top of the vegetable block B in atriangular shape.

When the swingable rod 69 stands upright to be aligned with the verticalguide slot 33 a, the inverted “V”-shaped blade 34 is raised up to thehighest position in which the edge is directed horizontal.

When the liner 45 continues to move forward, the inverted “V”-shapedblade 34 is lowered while allowing the blade edge to turn downward.Thus, the vegetable block B is chamfered to be given a triangular shapein cross section.

FIGS. 20 and 21 show how the chamfered vegetable B is discharged.

The slider block 43 continues to move, and the liner 45 abuts againstthe detent pin 53 b, so that the slider block 43 is disengaged from theliner 45 to allow only the slider 43 to continue to move while pushingthe counter push rod 61 apart from the chamfered vegetable block B.Thus, the chamfered vegetable block B is allowed to fall down.

After the chamfered vegetable block B is discharged, the screw rod 42turns in the opposite direction to drive the slider block 43 along withthe L-shaped plate 60 in the opposite direction. When the L-shaped plate60 abuts against the detent 54b to stop there, the slider block 43 isdisconnected from the L-shaped plate 60, and then, the slider block 43is coupled with the liner 45 to permit the liner 45 to move togetherwith the slider block 43.

As the liner 45 moves rearward, the actuator pin 57 of the liner 45pushes the roll 64 of the upright slide plate 67, the roll 64 of theactuator plate 68 and the roll 64 of the swingable rod 69 rearward inthe order named to bring all of them in their initial position in whichthe left and right, vertical chamfering blades 37 and 38, the upper andlower, horizontal chamfering blades 35 and 36 and the inverted“V”-shaped blade 34 are so oriented that their edges are directed to thevegetable carrier 12.

FIG. 14 shows how an elongated cuboid block of vegetable B can bechamfered sequentially.

At the preliminary step (see FIG. 14(1) to (3)) a piece of potatoes iscut at its opposite sides, and the barrel-like piece of potatoes is cutradially into four or six equal blocks B without their skin peeled. Thepreliminary treatment can be performed automatically by using anautomatic cutter, which is disclosed in Japanese Utility ModelRegistration No.3024160.

An elongated cuboid block of vegetable B (FIG. 14(3)) is laid on thevegetable carrier 12 with its triangular ridge down.

The block of vegetable is chamfered along its opposite shoulders withthe inverted “V”-shaped blade to give it such a shape as shown in FIG.14(4).

The block of vegetable is sliced along its upper and lower portions withthe upper and lower, horizontal blades 35 and 36 to give it such a shapeas shown in FIG. 14(5).

Finally, the block of vegetable is cut along its opposite sides with theleft and right, vertical chamfering blades 37 and 38 to give it such ashape as shown in FIG. 14(6).

FIGS. 15 to 17 show how the different chamfering blades work.

Referring to FIG. 15, the push rod 56 pushes an elongated cuboid blockof vegetable B, and at the same time, the liner 45 is driven to push theroll 6 of the swingable rod 69, thereby raising the inverted “V”-shapedblade gradually while its edge is allowed to turn from upward-inclinedto horizontal position, and then the swingable rod 69 stands upright(see FIG. 15 b).

The roll 64 of the swingable rod 69 is pushed still further to make theswingable rod 69 to incline in the opposite way, lowering the inverted“V”-shaped blade 34 to allow its edge to be directed obliquely downward.The actuator pin 57 is depressed in the liner 45, thus permitting theroll 64 of the swingable rod 69 to ride over the depressed actuator pin57 (see FIG. 15 c).

Referring to FIG. 16, the push rod 56 continues to push the block ofvegetable B until it abuts against the upper and lower, horizontalblades 35 and 36 (FIG. 16 a). The liner 45 is driven to push the roll 64rearward, thereby permitting the swingable rods 70 and 71 to raise theupper horizontal blade 35 and lower the lower horizontal blade 36 alongthe vertical guide slot 33 b, allowing their edges to turn gradually tothe horizontal position (see FIG. 16 b).

The liner 45 is driven to make the edges of the upper and lower,horizontal blades 35 and 36 turn inward, when the actuator pin 57 isdepressed in the liner 45, thereby permitting the roll 64 of theswingable rod 69 to ride over the depressed actuator pin 57 (see FIG. 16c).

Referring to FIG. 17, the push rod 56 continues to push the block ofvegetable B until it abuts against the left and light, vertical blades37 and 38 (FIG. 17 a).

The liner 45 is driven to push the slide plate 68 rearward, therebypermitting the swingable rods 72 and 73 to move the left and right,vertical blades 37 and 38 apart from each other, allowing their edges toturn gradually from the divergent to parallel position (see FIG. 17 b).

The slide plate 68 continues to move rearward, permitting the swingablerods 72 and 73 to move the left and right, vertical blades 37 and 38close to each other, allowing their edges to turn from the parallel tothe convergent position, when the actuator pin 57 is depressed in theliner 45, thus permitting the roll 64 of the swingable rod 69 to rideover the depressed actuator pin 57 (see FIG. 17 c).

The vegetable block chamfering machine according to the secondembodiment of the present invention has one set of different chamferingblades on either side of the vegetable carrier 12 in the order of theinverted “V”-shaped blade 34, the upper and lower, horizontal chamferingblades 35 and 36, and the left and right, vertical chamfering blades 37and 38. It uses a single slider unit 40 for reciprocating the vegetablecarrier 12, thereby permitting the two sets of different chamferingblades to work alternately, thus chamfering two blocks of vegetable Beach time of reciprocation.

While one of the two sets of different chamfering blades work, the otherset is allowed to return to its initial positions, thus permitting thesaving of space required for installation, and the motor can beeffectively used.

A chamfering machine according to the present invention can be usedeffectively in chamfering elongated cuboid blocks of vegetable such aspotatoes or carrots into bite-sized rimless pieces. For the purpose ofcutting and removing the corner ridges of an elongated cuboid block ofvegetable the chamfering blades are integrally connected to their rotaryaxles, and such chamfering blades are operatively connected to a linkmechanism. This arrangement has the effect of increasing the strengthwith which the rotary blades are attached to the machine frame, thuseliminating the possibility of being broken by vegetable debris stuck tothe pivots of the chamfering blades. Also, advantageously the sharpnessof the chamfering blade remains well even if the machine is used for anelongated length of time.

The symmetric arrangement of two sets of different chamfering bladesrelative to the center of the machine bed permits the alternatechamfering in such a way that one set of chamfering blades work whilethe other set is allowed to return to its initial position accordinglyimproving chamfering efficiency.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vegetable block chamfering apparatus,comprising: a chamfering blade situated in the path in which a selectedblock of vegetable is transported, said chamfering blade having an edgedirected toward the vegetable block; a blade axle; guide means forguiding in the traversing direction relative to the direction in whichthe block of vegetable is transported; a swingable rod, said blade axlebeing fixed to one end of said swingable rod permitting the other end ofsaid swingable rod to be moved in the direction parallel to thedirection in which the block of vegetable is transported; saidchamfering blade being integrally connected to said blade axle, which isin engagement with said guide means; a vegetable carrier placed in frontof said chamfering blade; and vegetable block transporting means fortransporting the block of vegetable in the transporting path with theblock of vegetable pinched and held, said vegetable block transportingmeans is so operatively connected to the other end of the swingable rodas to push it, whereby said swingable rod is made to swing about theblade axle, causing the chamfering blade to turn about the blade axlewhile moving and chamfering the block of vegetable under the guidanceprovided by the guide means in the counter direction to the direction inwhich the block of vegetable is transported.
 2. A vegetable blockchamfering apparatus, comprising: two chamfering blades located in thepath in which a selected block of vegetable is transported, said twochamfering blades each having edges directed toward the vegetable block;a blade axle for each chamfering blade; guide means for guiding in thetraversing direction relative to the direction in which the block ofvegetable is transported; a swingable rod which can swing back and forthabout a pivot; each of said two chamfering blades is integrallyconnected to a blade axle, which is placed in engagement with said guidemeans, and the blade axle of one of the chamfering blades is fixed toone end of a rotary connection rod whereas the blade axle of the otherchamfering blade is fixed to one end of another rotary connection rod;the other end of each rotary connection rod being rotatably connected tosaid swingable rod; a vegetable carrier placed in front of said twochamfering blades; and a vegetable block transporting means fortransporting the block of vegetable on the transporting way with theblock of vegetable pinched and held, said vegetable block transportingmeans being operatively connected to the end of the swingable rod,whereby said swingable rod is formed to swing back and forth about itspivot in unison with the vegetable block transporting means, therebyallowing said chamfering blades to turn about their blade axles whilemoving and chamfering the block of the vegetable under the guidanceprovided by the guide means in the counter direction to the direction inwhich the block of vegetable is transported.
 3. A vegetable blockchamfering apparatus, comprising: two chamfering blades located in thepath in which a selected block of vegetable is transported, said twochamfering blades each having edges directed toward the vegetable block;a blade axle for each chamfering blade; guide means for guiding in thetraversing direction relative to the direction in which the block ofvegetable is transported; a drive plate which can be drive back andforth in a linear passage; each of said chamfering blades is integrallyconnected to a blade axle, which is placed in engagement with said guidemeans, and the blade axle of one of the chamfering blades is fixed toone end of a rotary connection rod whereas the blade axle of the otherchamfering blade is fixed to one end of another rotary connection rod;the other end of each rotary connection rod is rotatably to said driveplate; a vegetable carrier placed in front of said two chamferingblades; and a vegetable block transporting means for transporting theblock of vegetable on the transporting way with the block of vegetablepinched and held, said vegetable block transporting means beingoperatively connected to said drive plate, whereby said drive plate ismoved back and forth in unison with said vegetable block transportingmeans, thereby allowing said chamfering blades to turn about their bladeaxles while moving and chamfering the block of the vegetable under theguidance provided by said guide means in the counter direction to thedirection in which the block of vegetable is transported.
 4. A vegetableblock chamfering apparatus, comprising: an inverted “V”-shapedchamfering blade, upper and lower horizontal chamfering blades and leftand right, vertical chamfering blades arranged sequentially in the pathin which a selected block of vegetable is transported, said blades eachhaving edges directed toward the vegetable block; a plurality of bladeaxles; first swingable rod, a second swingable rods, another secondswingable rod a third swingable rod and another third swingable rod;first, second and third guide means; two drive plates which can bedriven back and forth on a linear passage; one of said blade axles beingintegrally connected to said inverted “V”-shaped chamfering blade, andis fixed to one end of said first swingable rod; one of said blade axlesbeing connected to each of said upper and lower horizontal chamferingblades, and placed in engagement with said second guide means, one ofsaid blade axles being fixed to one end of said second swingable rodwhereas the other blade axle being fixed to one end of said anothersecond swingable rod; one of said blade axles beging connected to eachof said left and right vertical chamfering blades, and is placed inengagement with said third guide means, one of said axles being fixed toone end of said third swingable rod whereas the other blade axle beingfixed to one end of said another third swingable rod; the other end ofeach second swingable rod being rotatably connected to said drive plate;a vegetable carrier placed in front of said inverted “V”-shapedchamfering blade; and a vegetable block transporting means fortransporting the block of vegetable on the transporting path with theblock of vegetable pinched and held, said vegetable block transportingmeans being operatively connected to said first swingable rod and saidtwo drive plates, whereby said first swingable rod and said two driveplates move back and forth in unison with said vegetable blocktransporting means, thereby allowing all chamfering blades to turn abouttheir blade axles while moving and chamfering the block of the vegetableunder the guidance provided by said guide means in the counter directionto the direction in which the block of vegetable is transported.